It looked like the Mavs were going to get a break with Grant Hill not
playing due to a sore right wrist, but the team sure did not take
advantage of it.
The Mavs maintained a 3 to 7 point lead through most of the 1st quarter.
They were up 19-11 on a Jason Kidd 3-pointer and called it a game there.
Detroit then went on a 12-0 run with Joe Dumars scoring 5 of those points.
It was 25-22 Detroit after 1. Detroit played solid D in the quarter.
Jason Kidd had 10 points in the quarter, but Dallas committed 5 turnovers.
Early in the 2nd, Michael Curry converted the rare 4-point play. Detroit
built their lead up to 35-28 with 7:10 left. The Mavs managed to cut that
lead down to 35-32. Detroit closed out the half with a 9-3 run to go up
48-39. Dallas shot a pathetic 6-22 FG to end the half. For the game,
Dallas was shooting 41% (14-34) FG and Detroit 44% (18-41) FG. Dallas
blew at least 5 layups in the half. Dumars had 11 points and Otis Thorpe
had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Kidd had 12 points, Jim Jackson had 8
points, and George McCloud had 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Grant Long opened the 3rd with a 3-pointer and the blowout was on.
Detroit led 62-49 with 5:00 left and 71-54 after 3. Detroit ate Dallas
alive with the high screen for Dumars and then down to the open screener,
pass to the open 3-point shooter, or swing the ball around to the open
man. After the screen, you often saw Kidd running around trying to catch
up with the passed ball and cover the open man. Lindsey Hunter benefited
the most from this play by scoring 11 points in the quarter including 3
3-pointers. He had 16 points for the game.
The blowout continued in the 4th. The only highlight of the game (well,
okay, the pass from McCloud into Gatling was pretty sweet) was Tony Dumas'
performance in the 4th. All 15 of his points came in the 4th. Detroit
won 103-84.
The Mavs' post-up game was almost non-existent. Jackson and Kidd can
post-up and had 2 inches on their defenders, but I can recall Kidd
posting-up only one once and Jackson not at all (granted Dumars was on
Jackson). Come to think of it, Kidd has hardly posted up at all this
season. The team rarely went to Montross, Gatling, or Miller in the post.
Most of the inside points the Mavs got came from nice interior passes or
driving layups, not setting up on the blocks. Jamal Mashburn needs quit
hanging out on the perimeter and go back at least every once in a while to
his post-up game. Partly due to this lack of an inside game, the Mavs did
not shoot a single free throw in the 2nd half.
Quotes
Doug Collins: "I believe in Lindsey Hunter and soon, so will everyone else.
Lindsey's already doing a lot of the things that Allan did for us last year."
Collins: "Lindsey plays a lot better when he doesn't have to handle the
ball, so I'm not going to burden him with making him run the offense.
That's why Joe Dumars and Grant handle the ball the majority of the time."
Collins: "It is good to know that if Grant steps out, that there are a
lot guys to pick up the slack. We have got a very competitive group of
guys, we are going to play them all and see what happens."
Lindsey Hunter: "Not having Grant, we lose so much that guys really have to
step up. We did that tonight."
Hunter: "I just have to come out and shoot whenever I am open. If I miss
10 straight shots and get open again, I have to take the 11th shot."
Hunter: "They are an explosive team, so we didn't want to outscore them,
we wanted to stop them. I wanted to make Jason earn his points by
scoring them over the top, not by driving to the basket."
Jim Cleamons: "When they hit those difficult shots, we got discouraged.
I'm not accustomed to nights like this, but in an 82-game season, nights
like this will occur. I was just trying to stop the bleeding and get some
benefit from this game."
Cleamons: "We played a good first quarter. I think during the second
half, we were just physically tired and spent from last night. But the
Pistons played last night, too, so I can't make that excuse."
Jason Kidd: "Lindsey caught fire for them, and you need that to happen in
this league. The ball just isn't going in for us, and tonight we really
had a cold streak. Detroit has a very talented team, and they are
playing very well. They showed they can play without Grant."
Kidd: "The ball is just not going in for us. Tonight we were on a cold
streak. We have played some quality teams. We are learning what it
will take to be successful. It is just a matter of time."
Kidd: "We've got to start getting up and down the court, we're not
running. It's hard to when you're taking the ball out of the net. This
isn't panic time, just an early gut-check."
Derek Harper: "We can't panic. that's the worst thing you can do. You
have to be concerned about some situations. But we're just 1-3."
Harper: "This team has a lot to learn. We have to learn to understand the
total game. When we're not hitting from the outside, we have to know that
you have to try to get it inside, or at least get to the free throw line."
Jamal Mashburn: "We're not playing good defense or good offense. We said
it's going to take time to get used to the new coaching staff, the new
system and new teammates. But I guess it's going to take longer than we
thought."
Mashburn: "You've got a lot of different things going on. New players.
I'm trying to go into the flow. I think there's nothing to worry about.
The offense will come. You have to remember, not only are the players
new, but the coaching staff is new. You've got people who want to score.
We've just got to get people where they're most effective."
Dal-Det boxscore